MIGS heads to Montréal after 50% attendance jump

The Montréal International Game Summit returns Nov. 10-11 at Grand Quay after 2025 attendance rose more than 50% year over year. Organizers say the event is drawing more international companies, senior executives and business partners as the games industry looks for new markets and collaboration.

Why it matters: - MIGS is positioning Montréal as a business hub for the global games industry. - The summit is built to connect international game companies with North American markets, while linking North American firms with partners and opportunities abroad. - The event's growth signals stronger demand for B2B dealmaking, external development, publishing and investment in games.

What happened: - The Montréal International Game Summit returns to Grand Quay in Montréal on Nov. 10-11, 2026. - MIGS is Canada’s largest and longest-running B2B video game industry event. - Attendance rose to more than 1,750 in 2025 from 1,100 in 2024, a gain of more than 50%. - More than 650 companies from 29 countries were represented in 2025. - International attendance topped 250 people in 2025. - 59% of attendees in 2025 held management-level positions or above. - La Guilde du jeu vidéo du Québec hosts MIGS, and XP Gaming produces the summit.

The details: - MIGS 2026 is built around the full business ecosystem for games, including developers, publishers, technology providers, service providers and investors. - The EXDEV Hub will give external development and co-development companies a dedicated area on the show floor. - The Business Showfloor and Business Lounge are designed for companies to meet and do business. - The new PG Connects Stage, presented by Pocket Gamer, will dedicate a full day to mobile and AI. - The Indie Zone and Indie Pitch will connect independent developers with publishing, investment and broader industry contacts. - The 2026 program will focus on financing, international growth, studio strategy, publishing, market validation and independent development. - IO Interactive will present on how its global studio strategy shaped 007 First Light. - Ghost Ship Games will discuss how Deep Rock Galactic grew into a global franchise. - Montréal studio Paralives will share the seven-year path behind Paralives, which sold more than 1.1 million copies in its first two months. - Additional speakers include Epic Games Store, Behaviour Interactive, Kitfox Games and 11 bit studios. - More programming will be announced later. - La Guilde represents more than 400 video game companies in Quebec that employ 15,000 people. - La Guilde says Quebec’s video game industry generates $1.4 billion in economic benefits. - XP Gaming also runs XP Game Summit and XP Game Connect conferences in Vancouver and Atlantic Canada. - More information is available through La Guilde and XP Gaming. - MIGS social accounts are listed on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and X.

Between the lines: - MIGS is leaning harder into business-to-business matchmaking instead of treating the summit only as a conference. - The emphasis on external development, mobile, AI and indie publishing suggests organizers are tracking where game companies are spending money and seeking partners. - The international speaker mix reinforces Montréal’s role as a meeting point for North American and overseas companies.

What's next: - Organizers plan to add more programming ahead of the November event. - MIGS 2026 will continue to promote business development across publishing, investment, technology and co-development. - The summit is likely to use its 2025 attendance gains as proof of momentum heading into the Montréal gathering.